Fetisov suing limo company
Posted: Wednesday June 17, 1998 12:58 AM
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Fetisov suffered a bruised chest and lung, nerve damage and a severe cut to his leg in the limousine crash on June 13, 1997 (AP) |
DETROIT (AP) -- Detroit Red Wing defenseman Viacheslav Fetisov has
filed a lawsuit against the limousine company and driver who were involved
in last year's accident that injured Fetisov and two teammates.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in Oakland County Court. It seeks
unspecified damages from John Gambino, Gambino Limousine and driver Richard
Gnida. It was filed by Fetisov and his wife, Ladlena. Gnida
was driving Fetisov, defenseman Vladimir
Konstantinov and team masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov in a limousine on June
13, 1997, six days after the Red Wings won their first Stanley Cup in 42
years. Konstantinov, who attended Tuesday night's repeat
Stanley Cup victory in Washington, is still recovering from severe brain
injuries he received in the crash. Mnatsakanov also suffered head injuries.
Fetisov, 40, suffered a bruised chest and lung, nerve damage
and a severe cut to his leg in the crash. Fetisov, the National Hockey
League's oldest player, was able to return to the ice this season.
Gnida, 28, is scheduled to be released from jail Friday. He was
sentenced to nine months on a misdemeanor charge of driving with a
suspended license, but is being released two months early for good
behavior. Attorney Richard Goodman declined to say why Fetisov
is the only one to file suit so far in the accident. He said the timing of
the lawsuit -- shortly after the anniversary of the crash and during the
Stanley Cup finals -- was coincidental. "He [Fetisov] may be
playing hockey today, but who knows that the future holds for him," Goodman
told The Detroit News for a story Wednesday. "We're
concerned for him and his wife." Larry Dubin, a University of
Detroit law professor, said it was possible that the suit was an attempt to
speed up a settlement from the limousine company. "Whatever
[Goodman's] strategy is, he knows what he's doing, he's a very skilled
lawyer," Dubin told the Detroit Free Press. Cynthia
Gillard, Gambino's attorney, said she was disappointed that negotiations
didn't solve issues in the crash. Gambino's insurance company
had offered all three men $2 million to divide. The company said that was
the cap of its liability. "They have represented to us that that
is the limit," Goodman said. "But ... there are some issues they are not in
agreement with us on."
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